On The Hellenization Of Christianity One Example: The Salvation Of Gentiles In Paul

10.1163/ej.9789004162921.i-836.214

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Chapter Summary

Amongst Catholic New Testament (NT) interpreters, the positions on the issue of the hellenization of Christianity are diverse. It is still thought that the real hellenization of Christianity begins, in fact, with the Apologists of the second century, with the gnosis, and with the speculative theology of Clement of Alexandria and Origen. In this brief contribution, we want to defend a return to previous positions, considered already overcome by some NT scholars, of the History of Religions School on the issue of the hellenization of Christianity, because the actual discussion of the problem of NT "Frühkatholizismus" does not seem to enter into the core of the matter. This chapter gives only one example, Paul's doctrine on salvation of Gentiles, to illustrate the case: some brief considerations on the core of this doctrine lead us to a position closer to the "Religionsgeschichtliche Schule".